Tugging At My Heartstrings
by dancing for bibble
Summary: Elsa and Anna have been apart for ten years. When a tragedy occurs and Elsa is forced to return, how will each girl react after being apart for so long? And what is that funny feeling in Anna's chest that feels like a million butterflies doing the tango? Anna enlists the help of some of her Princess friends to help her figure it out. Elsanna.


**Author's Notes: Okay. Firstly, hi! I hope everyone is doing well. Welcome to my story! First and foremost, I should probably get a few things out of the way. Yes, this an Elsanna story, but no, they aren't sisters, not really, but kind of. If you read it, you'll understand what I mean. Elsanna all the way! Also, there is one OC in here. I think he's loveable, and he serves a purpose that is actually meaningful. I personally hate when OC's completely take over; you aren't here to read solely about a character I dreamed up, so what's the point? You want some awesome Elsanna action, and that's what you'll get, with angst along the way, of course. What else is thereeeee. Reviews. I'm not begging, but if you review, I'll know that I'm doing something right, and someone out there is happy with what I'm putting out there. That in itself means a lot to me. Okay, no more rambling! This is the prologue, and you'll get a feel for how things are going to go down. Lastly, I don't own anything, everything belongs to Disney, blah blah. Okay! Onwards! **

Prologue

Summary: Elsa and Anna have been apart for ten years. When a tragedy occurs and Elsa is forced to return, how will each girl react after being apart for so long? And what is that funny feeling in Anna's chest that feels like a million butterflies doing the tango? Anna enlists the help of some of her Princess friends to help her figure it out.

The basket was found a little after midnight on an evening when Autumn was slipping slowly into the shadows, allowing Winter her turn in the world. The cool wind moved through the trees, filling the air with light whispers in the darkness.

When Nedolf Brager saw the basket during his rounds in front of the castle gates, his first thought was that someone was meaning to attack the castle. He drew his sword and approached carefully, his once tired brown eyes now suddenly alert, darting around nervously for an ambush. Upon first inspection, there was nothing special about the basket. It was brown in color, and knotted together by a wood that appeared common in nature. It could have been left by anyone, and that was what made it more dangerous.

Clenching his jaw tightly, he took a step forward; if it was his destiny to die tonight protecting the castle, then so be it. He would give his life proudly. His sword was raised, the steel of the blade glinting dangerously in the moonlight. He lifted it higher and prepared to strike, until a soft sound from the basket gave him pause. Figuring it was a trick to cause a distraction, he raised his sword once more and continued forward-but wait—the sound again. A sound he had heard before, he was quite certain, but he couldn't place it. That was until he stood over the basket, his shadow engulfing it fully. His sword clattered to the ground noisily, but he barely noticed; this foe wasn't going to taste his blade this night, nor any other to come.

From within the basket, bright blue eyes peered up at him, dancing with a mixture of curiosity and mirth. Nedolf's mouth opened and closed numerous times, his ability to speak deserting him completely. The baby was nestled deep into the basket, bundled in a blanket of blue and purple. A light spotting of freckles adorned the baby's pale face, and a small tuft of auburn hair sat atop its head.

He cleared his throat and ran his fingers nervously through his unkempt hair. The baby cooed and gurgled up at him, seemingly entertained by his predicament. He gave it a wry smile before reaching down slowly, his intention clear. He had very little experience with children, especially those very small in stature but large in lung power, but a big part of him felt compelled to make sure the baby was unharmed. He wrapped his hands gently around the squirming bundle, and brought it to his chest.

"Hey there, little guy—er, girl? I'm Nedolf, what's your name?"

He mentally chastised himself, realizing that if anyone were to see him, they'd think him a fool for talking to a baby as if were capable of voicing a response.

"Let's get a look at you, huh?"

He lifted the baby gently so that they were looking eye to eye. He turned it around, smiling as little spurts of giggles were heard, and little fingers reached towards the sky, grasping at everything and nothing.

"Now look at this...I think we found something."

On the corner of the blanket were four large but well stitched letters:

_A N N A_

Nedolf turned the baby around and met the blue eyes before him, eyes that suddenly seemed wise beyond their years.

"So you're Anna, eh? Well I'm Nedolf, Ned to my friends and random babies found in front of castle gates, and I'm pleased to meet you."

Anna graced him with a toothy smile and a tendril of drool.

"Such a sweet kid, who left you out here all alone?" His eyebrows knit together as he tried to take in the situation before him. Someone had walked up to the castle doors, without being _seen_, and left the baby, knowing that someone would find her.

But she was alone, and it was starting to get cold, and those two facts caused him to seethe angrily.

What kind of person...no, he mustn't think about it. The important thing was that she was okay, as far as he could tell.

"I need to bring you to the King and Queen. They'll know what to do."

He placed Anna into the crook of his arm and grabbed the basket, making his way quickly towards the castle doors.

* * *

She was welcomed into their family with open arms and warm hearts. The King and Queen were obviously startled when one of their most trusted guards woke them from deep slumber, but they knew the man well and were sure that his intentions were good. When they saw the baby in his arms and heard his story, they knew what had to be done. The King and Queen cared for baby Anna as if she were one of their own, wondering when the time would come that someone would come knocking, demanding their child back.

But that time never came.

Their first concern was whether or not their daughter Elsa would accept this foreign visitor, but their fears were quickly assuaged when Elsa and Anna took to each other immediately. Elsa thought that this tiny person was wonderful, and couldn't wait to teach her all the things that she herself loved. Reading, writing, telling stories; she was ecstatic in her goals, and set forth right away, reading to Anna every night before bed. As the two of them aged, they quickly became each other's best friend, ultimately inseparable. They played together often, loudly chasing each other through the castle at all hours of the night, laughing as the guards tried to keep up.

It was one night after a particularly loud game of 'Slay the Dragon,' that the unfortunate incident occurred. Anna was sprinting down the halls, plastic sword and shield in hand. She was tired and out of breath, but the laughs fell from her mouth easily, because _gods _she was having the time of her life. She turned around to see Elsa quickly gaining on her, a mischievous look in her eyes; she knew she had almost won. It was the moment when Anna turned around for the second time that disaster struck. Focused entirely on Elsa, she failed to see the chair that was directly in her path, and went sprawling to the ground. She cringed and held her knee up for inspection. Yeah, that was going to leave a mark. Before she could tell Elsa that she was fine, Nedolf came running towards her, his eyes filled with worry.

"Princess! Are you alright? You have to be careful, we both know how clumsy you are!" Anna gave Nedolf a crooked smile and turned to Elsa.

"Silly Ned, you worry too much!"

Ever since Nedolf had found Anna and brought her in out of the cold, he had been assigned her personal guard by the King and the Queen. They got along wonderfully, and Nedolf always seemed to be there when Anna was in trouble. The only issue was that Elsa despised the man.

She liked knowing that Anna had someone to look after her, but Elsa thought herself more than capable for the job. But he was always there, and it was getting harder for her to contain her distaste for the guard that wouldn't give them time alone.

Anna got up slowly and made her way towards Elsa.

Something wasn't right.

Her fists were clenched at her sides and her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Nedolf glanced between the two girls before stepping towards the older Princess.

"Princess Elsa, is something the matter?"

"You."

He stepped forward, unable to hear what had been said.

"My apologies, Princess, I didn't quite catch-"

"I said YOU!"

In that moment, time seemed to freeze. Anna held her breath as the scene unfolded before her. Elsa's face was moist with the tears she had unknowingly shed, her mouth opened in a gasp. Nedolf was on the ground, his eyes wide with shock.

Surrounding the man were large pillars of ice, jagged in structure and sharpened to a point. Had he been a second slower in his retreat...well, he didn't want to think about that. But where had they come from?

One glance towards the fair haired Princess and he knew.

Elsa stared at her hands in horror, trying to utter something, _anything_, but the words refused to form.

"I—I'm s-" her words dissolved into sobs the moment she met Anna's eyes, and she fled as fast as she could, leaving Anna to stare after her in confusion and worry.

* * *

It was the day following the incident in the hallway that Elsa left the castle.

Anna screamed that it wasn't fair, that Elsa shouldn't be sent away for something that was clearly an accident. The King and Queen knew the two girls were very close, but Anna's reaction surprised them greatly.

"Oh, Anna my dear, Elsa will be back, we promise you."

Anna met the Queen's eyes in defiance.

"You're sending her away! You're taking her away from me and...and...what am I supposed to do without Elsa?"

The King held the girl closely, wiping her tears away. When he spoke, it was a soft tone, reserved for only the two of them.

"I know how badly this must hurt you, our sending her away, but Elsa is hurting, too. She's scared, she doesn't know what will happen the next time she's upset, or happy, or scared. And neither do we. We're sending her to a place where she can control whatever it was that happened last night. It's for the best."

Anna remained unconvinced, and when Elsa walked by her with packed bags in tow, the tears began to flow once more, and she didn't think that they would stop any time soon.

"Elsa, please. Don't leave me."

Elsa met Anna's eyes, the shame and guilt that she felt flashed briefly before she lowered her head and kept walking.

"Look at me!"

Elsa paused and squared her shoulders before continuing on, granting Anna not even a single glance in return.

Nedolf waited by the docks, volunteering to help Elsa with her bags. He didn't know what it was that had happened the previous night, but he knew that he held no ill will towards the girl. He wanted her to figure out what it was that was effecting her, for her sake, but mostly for Anna's. He knew that his little Princess was going to be heartbroken upon seeing Elsa leave, and that wrenched at his chest more than he could ever say.

Before Elsa stepped onto the ship, she turned towards Nedolf, opening her mouth to speak.

"You'll figure it out, whatever it is, and when you do, I'll be right back here to escort you home."

She swallowed hard, a brief look of sad happiness adorning her face.

"Can you...you know, look after- it's just that-"

"Always."

Elsa sighed deeply and nodded towards the guard, and finally stepped onto the ship. She told herself that it would be better not to look, but she couldn't help it. She had to see Anna, because maybe this would be the last time.

Anna stood with the King and Queen, a forlorn look in her eyes. As the ship began to move, their eyes stayed locked on one another, until Anna lifted her hand in a small show of goodbye. It was then that Elsa had to turn away, because who knew that tears could be so blinding.

* * *

They kept in touch over the years, but not as much as either one had hoped. Letters were written, sent, and longed for on both ends, but soon responsibilities overtook both of the girls, and eventually the letters stopped all together. It pained Anna greatly, but in her heart she hoped and prayed that Elsa was doing well, and building the life for herself that she couldn't have in Arendelle. On the other end, Elsa wished the same. Though her heart longed to send a letter practically every minute of everyday, she knew it was foolish. Anna had her responsibilities in the castle, and she...well, she had her own problems to work through. She could only hope that she was being taken care of, and staying true to herself, whoever she grew to be.

* * *

Ten years later...

Time, it is often said, goes on, regardless of whether anyone is paying attention. With the passage of time comes love and loss, happiness and sadness. The Kingdom of Arendelle was in mourning. Their Queen had fallen ill with fever, and had been unable to recover. Anna stood between the King and her guard, clutching their hands tightly as she saw her mother for the very last time. This time, the tears didn't fall. Everyone felt love. Everyone felt loss. She had appreciated the time they spent together, and had loved and been loved in return. A part of her held onto the childish belief that it wasn't fair, but she pushed it aside. She wasn't the only one who had lost someone today. She turned to the King, meeting his sad eyes in understanding. She pulled him in close for a hug, hoping with all hope that he felt some comfort from the action.

"With...with your mother gone, I'm going to need you more than ever, Anna. There's going to be more to do around the castle..and...and..."

His words melded into a grief ridden sigh, unable to continue speaking, he simply held Anna closer.

"Also, I think you should know-"

A loud horn sounded off in the distance, and she knew it well. It played whenever a member of the royal family stepped into the Kingdom, and each member had their own distinct sound. One glance towards the King confirmed what she was thinking.

"Elsa."


End file.
